LehighValleyNews.com asked readers for input for The Road Ahead, our latest project examining local traffic and road safety. They rose to the challenge, sharing their takes on road design, traffic patterns, driving trends, public transit and more. Each week, The Road Scholar will review some of the concerns driving Lehigh Valley motorists. Comments from readers have been edited for grammar, space and clarity.
I know there is a plan to redesign the Farmersville Road and Freemansburg Avenue intersection but that is about two years off. It is already a dangerous, high-accident intersection and with more construction and resident traffic it's only getting worse. Why can't they install a traffic light now? — Patricia S.
The answer to Patricia's question comes down to two things there never seems to be enough of — time and money. Generally speaking, that applies to most other road improvement projects in the region, too.
For those who don't travel on Freemasburg Avenue much, this intersection is an awkward one. The northern section of Farmersville Road is about 200 feet away west of the southern section. Traffic on Freemansburg doesn't have a stop sign, making it difficult for drivers on Farmserville to make the turn at rush hour.
Making matters worse, westbound traffic is often speeding through the area. Freemansburg Avenue goes from six lanes and heavily developed to a two-lane rural road in just a half mile.
Freemansburg Avenue goes from six lanes and heavily developed to a two-lane rural road in just a half mile.The Road Scholar
Motorists aren't always quick to adjust as the road transitions. And while it's not exactly a crash magnet, the data isn't great, either.
Between 2019 and 2023 (the most recent 5-year period with data available), the area around the two three-way intersections saw six crashes — including a fatal wreck in 2020 when an 18-year-old rolled over his SUV.
Making the TIP
There are plans to improve this section of the road, but the job's far more complex than just adding a traffic light. The northern leg will shift east, making it a more conventional four-way intersection complete with a new light. Part of the northern leg of Farmersville will become a cul-de-sac so homeowners can still access their properties. PennDOT anticipates the whole project will cost up to $10 million.
The way John Q. Public looks at the project, it won't begin until May 2026 when construction is scheduled to break ground. If everything runs according to plan — hardly a given — it should wrap up in December 2027.
But before we get to that point, staff will have spent years examining traffic conditions, reviewing utility access, acquiring the right-of-way, completing environmental studies and determining the correct light sequence to serve the new intersection all while working within the budget.
This project landed on the Lehigh Valley Transportation Improvement Project, a four-year plan that's updated annually to address transit issues of regional importance. Most of the funding comes from the federal and state governments; the current TIP has a budget of $638.2 million over the next four years. Along with pumping $188.3 million into LANTA, that amount covers everything from rehabilitating the Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem to replacing the South Albert Street bridge in Allentown to improving the intersection of Airport Road and Route 248 in East Allen Township.
Getting on the TIP is no small feat. It takes years of planning and requires support from a number of stakeholders including PennDOT, both counties, the three cities, LANTA and the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority.
The cost
But it's usually worth it to the host community because it comes with crucial funding. Bethlehem Township officials acknowledged they had little chance of addressing Freemansburg Avenue without PennDOT interceding — the township's entire 2025 budget calls for spending $21 million.
Municipalities aren't the only ones with limits on what they can tackle. When the Lehigh Valley Transportation Study updated its 25-year plan in 2023, it forecasted to receive $4.9 billion in funding over that period. That was $2.6 billion short of addressing all of the priority projects for the Lehigh Valley, however.
Some major projects that missed the cut included improving Route 33 between Tatamy and Wind Gap, adding multiple roundabouts along Route 222 in Upper Macungie and South Whitehall townships, and reconfiguring the Interstate 78/Route 222 interchange. These improvements were too rich for even the current level of funding, which includes a boost from the bipartisan infrastructure package Congress passed in 2021.
Of course, few projects match the size and complexity of those last examples. But even fixing a 200-foot section of a dangerous road often requires more work than the average person may suspect.
Are there any local intersections or roadway designs that boil your blood? Email your takes to toms@lehighvalleynews.com and it may appear in a future Road Scholar piece.
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